It’s coming! An event that long ago showed up as a dream marker upon my imagined future life trail. The eclipse of August 21, 2017. As a child I was fanatical about all things related to the cosmos, and I devoured all of the books I could about astronomy and cosmology. I confess that I learned I was a nerd even before the word was invented. How many 2nd graders do you think had a strong conviction on the then current scientific controversy on whether the universe was the result of a big bang, or whether the steady state theory was the explanation for the observations of astronomers. I was quite firmly on the side of the big bang. This was a year before the discovery of the background microwave radiation that was the echo of the big bang, and there were indeed two schools of thought on the explanation for the observed universe. Being proven right on the big bang led to many more theories that I expounded upon during my childhood.

Since eclipses are known, predictable events, way back in the 1960’s I realized that if I was alive in 2017, a total solar eclipse would happen right over my head in Lincoln, Nebraska. That was the first total solar eclipse that I would be able to attend without travel to a foreign country (and back in elementary school that seemed to be so far out of reach). Now fast forward over 50 years, and I am now in the position of nervous anticipation of the event of August 21. I have our hotel reservation near the band of totality. Our two sons are planning to join us for the final journey to the strip of land that will experience darkness in the middle of the day.

Two things cause me nervousness in anticipating the event. First is traffic on the morning of the 21st. I will be 70 miles outside of the band of totality. I’m avoiding the interstate like the plague, but there will still be thousands who will follow the road that I will take, slowing our progress. I will probably antagonize my family by insisting that we get up and leave much, much sooner than we really need to, just to make sure that we get there in time. Ideally we want to go about 130 miles to our preferred viewing site, but the absolute must is to make it to the band of totality.

The second thing that causes me anxiousness? The weather. We will be in central South Carolina, and the sky conditions in this part of the south are iffy at best, both historically and in the extended weather forecast. I can say to myself that if clouds obscure the view, at least I will experience the coming of sudden darkness, followed by an instant morning, But that will never substitute for the absolute thrill of seeing the corona emerge, shining eerily over the surface of the darkened side of the moon. It would be extra special if there were a solar flare at the time that you could see, but just seeing the physical manifestation of the solar wind will be awesome.

Well, you pay your money and you take your chances. South Carolina offered the only opportunity for my entire family to attend this event, so we will be going in a spirit of optimism, rather than pessimism.

If we miss it this go around, there is a subsequent eclipse coming up in 2024 that bisects the country again. I hope to be able to travel to it as well, but the first shot I have will be my best hope.

If we're still around I'll try for the 2024 event in totality. As is I'll still be able to see most of the upcoming eclipse from where I live in Cincinnati Ohio. It's too bad we can't look at it directly, but that's not that big of a deal.

If we're still around I'll try for the 2024 event in totality-Hillary Clinton will make sure you aren't around in 2024 when she's appointed president and immediately starts WWIII, so the Clinton Foundation will benefit, of course. Stare into your local nuclear fireball...guess that was a big deal for those in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Haven't you made enough of a complete fool of yourself yet Jeff? You completely got handed your ass on the last thread you pulled this shit. I guess you must be a glutton for punishment. Keep pushing asshole, you only have a little of what's left of your reputation to obliterate.

Perfect Priestess Asshole JenJen CLAIMS: You completely got handed your ass on the last thread you pulled this shit-well, according to you, but then you are a millennial whiner and wide-eyed idiot conspiracy theorist, trying her own brand of hit and run. You are as much of an intellectual fraud, as you new boy, Geo Romey.Why the fuck do you try to wreck that nice article ?- Why did she comment at a moron level? Moon in front of sun....gets dark. OOOOOOOoooo. Didn't take but a few words to get her apoplectic. Watch out, the nukes are gonna rain down on ol Switz and get all your chocolate, cheese and expensive wristwatches to glow in the dark. Seems I'm the bad guy here, despite her nonsense. She better get her only source for the conspiracy to come to WB so we can see JenJen's Edward R Murrow.

I'm jealous that you only have to go seventy miles. Early Saturday we're driving five hundred miles to my in-laws' home, and in the wee hours of Monday morning we're driving about forty minutes back north to a Missouri State Park that's in the totality path. Our idea is that after the eclipse we can have a picnic, hike the trails, and go nowhere until the traffic has cleared. In any case I expect a downpour; but I'm also a lifelong astronomy fan, so it's worth a try.

In 2024 the eclipse will be half that distance from my home, and also pass right over my in-laws' house. I'm hoping for a twofer.

Just to clarify when I earlier said, if we are still around for the 2024 eclipse, I was referring to the unpredictability of life. As many here, Jeff included, know, my mother was murdered by a religious psychopath fanatic when I was nine. She was 29, the same age I am now. I am as old as my mother ever was or will be. It's a strange feeling and really makes one reflect on life and the uncertainty of it all.

Jeff knows all this but chose to misrepresent what I said in political terms which had and have zero bearing on what I clearly actually meant. Jeff is a religious psychopath fanatic like the kind who murdered my mother. He is a troll who stalks me here on Writer’s Beat because he hates those who see through his death cult and have outed him for the monster he really is. He especially hates women except warmonger psychopaths like his idol Hillary Clinton, so he takes every opportunity to attack me and all minority groups and women who stand up for equally and the voice of the people versus the corporate establishment he represents. I pitty him actually. He is nothing but a parasite misogynistic racist neoliberal who can only exist off attacking others who differ from his narrow world view. I suggest ignoring him but just wanted to clarify what I meant before. I am regretfully that this article thread has been polluted with Jeff's poison, but as it was him that attacked me unprovoked, not the other way around, he is the villain here and I will not apologize for his actions or surrender my power to a bigoted stalker troll no matter what.

Back to the actual topic, as I mentioned elsewhere I'm going to watch the eclipse and see if I can get a good picture of it. If I do I'll post it on Twitter then post the link to it here to share with everyone :-)

"The second thing that causes me anxiousness? The weather. We will be in central South Carolina, and the sky conditions in this part of the south are iffy at best, both historically and in the extended weather forecast."

It's looking good for you, weatherwise. But, as they said in that area, if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.

SEFa sez: You replied without insulting me now on my latest thread. Why not before ? To not agree doesn't mean to throw shit at each other :--I felt you'd become dismissive and "golden." Needed shine knocked of, perhaps. I guess I got weary of all the "attitudes," including others. Seems wsucram15 made the mistake I made, and disagreed with perfect priestess, and was typically attacked by JenJen in ad hominems and libels. Others buy into this without question.Thought you'd bought your "deep state" concerns off the shelf, and never even looked at the label. Now, to honor EABC's delightful post. What will all you WBers do with your darkness during the eclipse? I plan a drink under the darkness with my wife. No pictures to Twitter, Facebook or here. LOL

Leroy sez : Michka, no one will believe you if you don't post pictures.-who cares? Waste of bandwidth, in most cases. We're about to enter "The Heart of Darkness," so I need to get out my theramin to replay the soundtrack from "Forbidden Planet." LOL

I will be writing another post about my experience probably tomorrow. Thanks for your comments and picture Jenifer.

Jeff - I'll have to share the story of the theramin I build with my son from a kit sometime. Suffice it to say that it didn't work, and we ended up buying him a complete one for Christmas one year. Wish he'd play it more, but he also plays the organ so I'm not going to complain.

EABC sez: and we ended up buying him a complete one for Christmas one year. Wish he'd play it more, but he also plays the organ so I'm not going to complain.-Wow "Tocatta & Fugue in D" on a Theramin would be interesting. LOL

Jeff - my son learned the toccata in D on the organ but not the fugue. Never did hear it on the theremin.

It was a great bonding experience trying to build a theremin from a kit. My son learned how to solder (heck, I learned how to solder well). He learned basic circuitry and how to read resistors, and what a capacitor and a diode is. The whole project took months doing it a bit at a time. Finally we were complete, and time for us to turn it on and see if it worked.

Our voltages were only half what they should have been, and we never could figure out what we had done wrong. No sound ever came from that theremin.

EABC relates: Our voltages were only half what they should have been,-Perhaps, like many "electronic kits" you got a crappy or faulty power transformer. Correct voltages are crucial to producing sound on a theramin, but as you note, the experience you had working with your son may have been the real reward vs a strange life immersed in strange sounds that drive most people crazy.

I'm surprised nobody asked JenJen if she really took those pics, or just stole them and "just forgot" to tell people they we'ren't hers. She's a plagiarist, so have to ask, as everyone should if anything she posts is really hers, or...? I'm sure EABC's shot was his, as he's appeared honest, at least.

Leroy notes: It appears someone stole her photo. -Awwwwww. Turnabout being fair play, who would really care. I wonder where she originally stole the pic from that may have gotten stolen again. That's it with someone who's a plagiarist on a writer site, forever tarred. Now she can go game some "Likes." Another JenJen is Michael B. Those two have a lot in common.

I have to say, Jeff, I am disappointed in the Priestess. I guess it wasn't a lie when she said it "Here is the best image I was able to get." Technically, she never said she took it; she just implied it and did not give credit for the copyrighted image.

Leroy notes: Technically, she never said she took it; she just implied it and did not give credit for the copyrighted image- "I just forgot" was the last claim. I think the Deep State got her to do it. LOL